the wardette studio blog

It takes balls to knit.. and in this case, big beautiful thick woollen ones, on the laps of a several lovely ladies. By the time I turned up at La Maison, Meribel, to join the gaggle of ladies in the wine bar, the woollen balls were already dancing on their laps, and spinning whilst they clicked their giant knitting needles together. Furrowed brows were crossed with helpful pointing fingers; and the clink of wine glasses rung through quiet breathes that counted stitches.

Looking through these photos and remembering the evening, reminded me of an awesome conversation I had with the woollen hostess herself, Katie Proberto. We were talking about the power of now, the ability (or sometimes our lack of) to truly live in the moment; to take in ones company, surroundings and atmosphere without the social anxiety of having no phone screen to occupy our attention. There in the little low lit cafe, were a group of ladies who were super busy but super relaxed, chatting but doing, and creating an intoxicating atmosphere of their own- no iphone in sight. Other people in the bar also enjoyed it, joining in and asking questions.. all because of a few needles and some wool. The collective creative energy that they drummed up, on their own, with and for each other, and within the space, was infectious.

Perhaps this is as much the point of a Wool and the Gang Knit Party, as the beautiful snoods they made that night. There was a sweet reflection between the knits and the atmosphere they were creating; warm and embracing and knitted together, against the biting cold and snow outside. I suppose it is worth remembering that the verb to knit is to not only to interlock loops of wool.. it is also to unite, or to cause to unite. And knitting has a habit of doing this. Back home in the UK, and in anticipation of my brother's baby in the Spring, both my mother and grandmother are amidst a knitting mania. Sitting at my laptop, between them, whilst they knit and chatter away is one of my great family pleasures.

I'm sure you can tell I'm no knitting expert, right? And as beautiful as the wool was, and as fun as it was to watch all the snoods get finished.. I'm a people watcher, and watching all this through my lens made me smile no end. Good work ladies.. Both my camera and I thank you for the invite. Perhaps next time I'll put my camera down and have a go!

Katie Proberto (hostess and enthusiast of this lovely little gathering) is a brilliant blogger and knitwear designer herself. I wholeheartedly recommend that you check her out. Je Suis Une Monstre is a gorgeous world of adventures, insights and creations, including her stunning trademark hoop-la scarves.